The central government has compulsorily retired Indian Administrative Service officer Rinku Dugga, reported The Indian Express on Wednesday. Dugga and her husband Sanjeev Khirwar were transferred out of Delhi in March last year following reports that the government-run Thyagraj Stadium was being closed for sports activities earlier than usual so that they could walk their dog at the facility.
Following the fiasco, 54-year-old Dugga had been posted as the principal secretary of indigenous affairs in Arunachal Pradesh after being transferred from her post as the secretary of land and building in the Delhi government.
The decision to retire her compulsorily was taken under Rule 48 of the Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972. The provision states that the government holds the absolute right to retire officials prematurely on the grounds of lack of integrity and ineffectiveness, in the public interest.
The Indian Express last year quoted sportspersons and coaches at the Thyagraj Stadium as saying that they were being forced to end their practice before time so that the IAS officers could walk their dog.
“We used to train till 8-8.30 pm under lights earlier,” said a coach on condition of anonymity. “But now, we are asked to leave the ground by 7 pm so that the officer can walk his dog on the ground. Our training and practise routine has been disrupted.”
A junior athlete at the stadium said that he was forced to train in the heat since their practice sessions were being ended before time. “Earlier, I took water breaks once every half-hour,” the unidentified athlete said. “Now I need a drink every five minutes.”
Dugga’s husband, a 1994-batch officer who was posted as Delhi’s Principal Secretary (Revenue), had told the newspaper that he sometimes visited the facility with his pet. However, he dismissed claims that his walks were disrupting the practice sessions of athletes at the stadium.
“I would never ask an athlete to leave the stadium that belongs to them,” said Khirwar. “Even if I visit, I go after the stadium is supposed to close...We don’t leave him [the dog] on the track…when no one is around we leave him but never at the cost of any athlete. If it’s something objectionable, I will stop it.”
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